SEEKING

Greenleaf writes: Seeking, as I viewed it, is opening oneself to growth in awareness.  It is, in part, a cleansing of perception – both the inward and the outward. 

How might one go about growing in ‘awareness’?  Here are a few guidelines that I have found to be helpful.  First of all, I must ‘wake up.’  What does this mean?  Here is a hint.  Imagine that you are driving along a familiar route.  All of a sudden a car pulls in front of you.  You might find yourself ‘waking up’ – you were driving on auto-driver (it was, after all a familiar route).  How much time do we spend each day on ‘auto’ – that is, how much time do we spend ‘asleep.’  How much of our life has been spent ‘being asleep’ like this? 

Second, I must ‘show up.’  This means that I must bring all of myself to the ‘now’.  I do not just show up physically.  I show up physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually (whatever ‘spirit’ or ‘spiritually’ means to me).  I bring all of me to the ‘present moment’ – I am not using some of my energy ruminating about the past or anticipating the future. 

Third, I must ‘pay attention.’  This ‘paying attention’ also requires me to be ‘in the now’ – to be fully present.  I must pay attention to what is happening to me physically (is one of my physical responses to the situation more tension in my body); I must pay attention to what is happening to me intellectually (again, am I ruminating about the past or anticipating the future – is my mind full of ‘noise’ that distracts me from being fully aware at this time); I must pay attention to what is happening to me emotionally (what am I feeling at this moment: anxiety, joy, fear, contentment, etc.); and I must pay attention to what is happening to me ‘spiritually’ (does this experience nurture or deplete me spiritually or does it nurture or deplete my spirit). 

Fourth, I must ‘follow’ what nurtures me more than what depletes me.  Often this involves becoming aware of my self-talk – that is, I must become aware of what I am saying to myself about the experience/situation.  I might not be able to control the experience or the situation but I can always control my self-talk. 

I have found – and others have also found – that my ability to be awake, aware, intentional and purpose-full is enhanced when I follow these four guidelines. 

What do you do, Gentle Reader, to help yourself be more awake, aware, intentional and purpose-full?  What do you choose to do that hinders you from being awake, aware, intentional and purpose-full?